Something to Crow about

Today I have to warn you that I'm not censoring myself....


We have several chickens. Actually, we have more chickens than I know what to do with, at the moment. So when the Bantam hens all decided to go broody one right after the other, we had several different stages of baby chicks that needed care away and safe from the older birds or flock. We've spent about the last 6 weeks taking chicks and their mothers back and forth between a dog crate they live in during the night, to the chicken run outside. This way they all get used to the run, and get some outdoor time, and the older birds start to get used to the idea that new birds are here to stay. Since chickens are stupid and also very mean, everything needs to be done gradually, in order to keep peace and not ruffle any tail feathers.

I have two coops, one is Moe's House, which houses Moe, our Barred Plymouth Rock Standard Rooster, three fairly ancient birds, along with Mother Hubbard, who lately just wants to sit around in a nest all day in a trance, and four new additions from this springs hatch; Raven, Sunshine, Skunk, and Clone (she looks just like Mother Hubbard). The other coop, "Toe Eggs" coop named for the size the Bantam eggs, and my poor abilities to pick out the correct number of letters to make a proper sign for the coop. It houses the rest of the chicken gang, which is 5 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Barred rocks, and a gaggle of Bantams and Randy, the appropriately named Bantam Barred Rock coloured Rooster. He's a jerk.

Lately this summer, Randy has decided to take over the entire Chicken run from Moe. So often enough I would go out and find Moe standing in a corner away from Randy, with a sore butt, obviously pecked at when Randy catches up to him. The amusing thing about all of this is the fact that Moe is about four times the size of Randy, yet Randy can move Moe off almost everything and put Moe on the run. Randy is just a little jerk. He's not what I call a mean Rooster, since he's won't come flying at you like some roosters can be like, but he's not like Moe either, he's just tame enough to stand. If he keeps up this new activitiy of harrassing Moe, his life may end up as a really nice tasty stew. He's just got that 'little jerk' way about him.

Now Randy has developed an interesting crow as he matured. Not the usually Cock-a-doodle- doo that so many people are used to, but he's got a really long crow, like a last bit gets added to the end. It goes something like this" Cock-a-diddle-doo- doo." We often would chuckle at this odd crow, something I've not ever heard before on any rooster, and the other day we put a sentance to it, like he's annoucing his way most appropriately for his territory, to sound like this..

"I'm - a- Little- Ass-hole"!